To Speak or Not to Speak?

Dear Reader,

Recent events have led me to ask myself… “As a Christian, how am I called to act, especially in the public square?”. This has troubled me for some time, especially with the popularity of social media. We all know how much people like to get on social media and badger others for their political, social or religious beliefs. I’ve never been one to “troll” through people’s profiles to look for ways to tell them that they’re wrong for what they believe (I’m sure everyone knows someone who does). I don’t think that’s a good way to get others to listen to your opinion; especially if it’s different than their own.

In this age of political correctness and fear of offending others, it can be especially hard to know how to act or speak. The world tells us that someone is terrible if they have a differing opinion. If you’re like me, you have a business to think about which provides for your family. This makes it especially hard for me to know what or (more importantly) what NOT to say or when to say (or not) say something…

I decided to look for guidance in Sacred Scripture. Here are some of the verses that have given me clarity when wrestling with whether or not I should hold my tongue (or fingers when it comes to social media).

I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spit you out of my mouth.

Revelation 3:15-16

He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.

Matthew 12:30

You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 5:13-16

By this it may be seen who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not do right is not of God, nor he who does not love his brother.

1 John 3:10

Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is right? But even if you do suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts reverence Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence; and keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are abused, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing right, if that should be God’s will, than for doing wrong.

1 Peter 3:13-17

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life?… For the Son of man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay every man for what he has done.”

Matthew 16: 24-27

Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord”, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 7:21

So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

James 4:17

It is obvious to me, that in the aforementioned scriptures that Christians are called to not only know the truth, but to act on that truth which comes from God. As Christians we cannot do one thing and say another. We cannot afford to be “closet Christians”. What good does it do to only act on our beliefs in the company of other brothers and sisters in Christ? Of course we’re comfortable in those settings, but we’re not called to a life of comfort. We’re called to evangelize the world of unbelievers, and THAT my dear reader involves making tough choices and yes, sacrifices. But think of what we will gain in the end once we reach the time of our judgement!

Sacred Scripture reveals that we will be judged for our actions… The bottom line is this: If we say we’re Christians, we need to prove it! To say we’re a Christian and then to intentionally deny who we are by acting in a way contrary to how we know we should act, just to make sure we don’t “offend” someone else, makes us, well, liars…

This is a harsh and painful reality for many of us. But isn’t Christ worth it? Look at what he did for us!? He was beaten, humiliated and crucified… For ME and for YOU!

Don’t we owe him that much?

This doesn’t mean that I’m going to start going to peoples social media profiles and berating them for their differing beliefs, and I’m certainly not advocating for anyone else to do that. As a Christian I am called to love and respect everyone as a child of God. It doesn’t mean that I’m going to judge someone if they aren’t a Catholic Christian (although if that person asks me I’m happy to talk with him/her about why I chose to be one). I’m not going to hide who I am when I can make a positive difference in standing up for what I believe to be right when I am called by The Holy Spirit to make that stand.

To hide who I am at my core, to be a “closet” or “closed-door Christian” goes against who I am called to be… Who we are all called to be…

Jesus tells us why he came:

Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s foes will be those of his own household. He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and he who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.

Matthew 10:34-39

If Jesus tells us that we should love Him more than our own parents, our sons and daughters or the in-laws, how much more should we love Him than say… the prospect of making money by making sure we don’t offend a complete stranger? What about a friend? A co-worker?

Don’t misunderstand me on this point… This doesn’t mean that we should go out of our way to say mean things or hurt those around us… However, this does mean that choosing not to take up our cross because we don’t want to offend someone is not going to be an excuse we can use on our day of judgement… But more important than any fear of damnation, we should carry our cross and endure suffering for what we know is right, simply because we love Christ…

Given the state of the world at the moment, I want to close out by quoting an excerpt from a wonderful book that I highly recommend that you read, called Render Unto Caesar by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput. It is geared towards a Catholic audience, but I believe it contains lessons and encouragement for every believer.

“The church serves her humanitarian mission best by doing what Christ founded her to do: to make saints. If we Catholics hope to transform America and not simply be digested by it, we need to raise up a new kind of genius, a generation of saints, through our prayer and zeal, through our personal witness, through our faithful devotion to the sacraments. These things matter profoundly. They are not the “religious icing” on the substance of the Christian message — they are the soul of it; the cornerstones of a truly Catholic life. The final lines of Leon Bloy’s classic novel, The Woman Who Was Poor, should burn in the heart of every serious believer: ‘There is only one misery and that is — not to be saints.‘ This is exactly the fire we need to set ablaze in our own lives and in the lives of Catholics across the United States.”

God Bless You Dear Reader, and thank you for reading…

Your Humble Servant in Christ,

William